By VANNE ELAINE P. TERRAZOLA
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SENATORS have expressed grief over the death of former actor and senator Ramon B. Revilla Sr., who passed away due to heart failure on Friday afternoon.
“I share the grief of the family of my good friend and former colleague, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., ‘Don Ramon’ to many of us, on his passing…The pain of losing someone we love leaves a deep hole in our hearts which no one can ever replace,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in a statement on Friday night.
Sotto worked with Revilla from the 9th Congress in 1992 until the 12th Congress in 2004.
“Don Ramon had a kind and good heart. His love for the masses and his deep concern for the welfare of our underprivileged brothers and sisters was an inspiring light that laid down the parameters of authentic public service. He has taught me that public adulation is not and should never be used as a benchmark for who and what a true public servant is,” the Senate chief said.
“As our nation mourns his passing, may his family be comforted with the fact that their patriarch was well loved by the people. Thank you for the friendship and the lessons, Don Ramon. May your soul rest in eternal peace,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri also paid tribute to Revilla’s work both in the entertainment industry and legislation.
“Ramon Revilla had such a profound influence on this country. As an actor, as a producer, as a politician. He did it all, and he did it all well. His films entertained and shaped generation upon generation of Filipino audiences. As an actor, he was so good in making us believe in his characters’ outsize strength and invincibility that I can hardly believe that he’s gone,” Zubiri said in a separate statement.
“What was truly remarkable about him was that his real-life work easily overshadowed the heroics of his film roles. He was a hero both on and off screen. He was such a hardworking and committed public servant, and he championed some vital measures that really put the country on track to development,” he added.
Zubiri also cited Revilla as the “Father of the Public Works Act” for his authorship of Republic Act 8150.
Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva and Sonny Angara, in separate tweets, also extended their sympathies to Revilla’s family.
Revilla, 93, succumbed to heart failure at about 5:20 p.m. of June 26. His son and namesake, incumbent Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., broke the news in a short Facebook video.
“Wala na po ang tatay ko, please pray for him,” Bong announced as he and his relatives wept.
